Club America draw against Xolos in the third week of Liga MX

TIJUANA, MEXICO — JANUARY 24: Mier Bolanos (L) of Tijuana fights for the ball with Victor Aguilera (R) of America during the 3rd round match between Tijuana and America as part of the Torneo Clausura 2020 Liga MX at Caliente Stadium on January 24, 2020 in Tijuana, Mexico. (Photo by Gonzalo Gonzalez/Jam Media/Getty Images).

Tijuana, Mexico – A below than average performance by Club America standards saw Miguel Herrera’s side walk away with only one point from the Estadio Caliente in Tijuana. Taking all things into consideration like injuries, missing players and departures, this can be seen as a proper result for the Coapa side.

On the other hand, Xolos will feel regret for not being able to capitalize on the opportunity to grab three points at home against a depleted America side.

Everything leading up to this match pointed to a much better game than what was witnessed in Tijuana. Xolos, coming off a 3-0 away loss to Queretaro, showed great promise at home when they beat Santos Laguna. From America’s side, Las Aguilas were coming off a win against Tigres in their first match. Both teams fielded their best possible starting XI with what was at their disposal.

Momentum was crucial for Club America. The team was walking into not-so friendly territory. Within their last three encounters at the Estadio Caliente, America had yet to register a win. That statistic that favored the Tijuana side coming into the match. However, games are won on the pitch not on paper and past results.

First Half

The match started as expected. Both sides were getting a feel for each other, as Xolos held more of the ball possession. America sat a bit back with their backline of five. Meanwhile, Xolos’ game plan was clear: get the ball to Miller Bolaños and let him create a chance up top.

This plan almost paid dividends for them. The Ecuadorian was able to conjure up a couple of dangerous plays. However, to America’s fortune, Mexican National Team goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was equal to any threat thrown his way. Xolos attacking threat didn’t last for long, as America settled into the game and began to take charge of the match by passing the ball around and high pressing Xolos defense causing a couple of mistakes at the back. Henry Martin and Giovanni dos Santos where unable to capitalize on these mistakes. At the whistle, the clubs went into the half scoreless.

Second Half

The second half saw a much more promising start to America’s side, as they looked to be in control. Herrera’s men played as fluid as possible stringing along good quick passes. This forced Xolos to sit deeper in their own half. However, while they did go on the defense, their game plan was to try and get America on the counter.

The Xolos game plan almost worked a couple of times in the half. However, it was lacking that final key pass to complete their counter attack. As the game progressed, Xolos did well to close of any space for Club America to run into. Also, the match became choppy, as foul after foul began to slow the fluidity of the match. In the end, both teams ended up having to settle for the draw as the score remained untouched, 0-0.

Last Word

While it wasn’t the best result on the road for Club America, there are some positives to take away. One positive was Leo Suarez showing promising signs when he came on. He didn’t make the biggest of impacts. However, seeing as how he’s only been at the club for about a little bit over two weeks, things are looking good.

The ultimate take away from the match has to be the clean sheet for Club America. A second-consecutive clean sheet only means more confidence in the defense and something this team lacked last season in the Apertura.

For Xolos, they’ll look ahead into their next match in the Copa MX knockout match against Atletico San Luis, ready to bounce back with a win. Even though their offense wasn’t as what they intended it to be in this match, the team should be happy in how they were able to contain the opposition.